A GE N DA

2012 Graduate Student Symposium

9:00–9:10 Welcome: David Ley

Session Chair: Andreas Christen

9:10-9:30 Chris Adderley (MSc)

9:30–9:50 Liam McGuire (MA)

9:50–10:10 Matthew Kinnear (MSc)

Coffee Break

Session Chair: Merje Kuus

10:40–11:00 Sandra Banholzer (MSc)

11:00-11:20 Andrea Marston (MA)

11:20–11:40 Jenna Keane (MSc)

11:40-12:00 Justin Lau (MSc)

LUNCH

Session Chair: Dan Hiebert

1:00–1:20 Molly Kraft (MA)

1:20-1:40 Holly Buehler (MSc)

1:40–2:00 Xiao Fu (MA)

2:00-2:20 Lesley Winterhalt (MSc)

Thursday, April 26

The UBC Department of Geography is pleased to host students, faculty and guests on

April 26 for the 2012 Graduate Student Symposium. Second-year master students

will be presenting their latest research findings with opportunities for discussion and

constructive feedback. Each presentation will take approximately 15 minutes with five

minutes afterwards for questions.

Presenter Abstracts:

Chris Adderley 2

Liam McGuire 2

Matthew Kinnear 2

Sandra Banholzer 2

Andrea Marston 3

Jenna Keane 3

Justin Lau 3

Molly Kraft 3

Holly Buehler 4

Xiao Fu 4

Lesley Winterhalt 4

Michael More 5

Amanda de Freitas 5

Ilana Klinghoffer 5

UBC DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY

Break

Session Chair: Jim Glassman

2:40–3:00 Michael More (MSc)

3:00–3:20 Amanda de Freitas (MA)

3:20–3.40 Ilana Klinghoffer (MSc)

Conclusion

2012 Graduate Student Symposium Page 2

Matthew Kinnear (MSc) The effects of discharge and slope on

hyporheic flow in step-pool morphologies using cold water as a tracer

in the last few decades. This may

cause different extra tropical

teleconnections than the canoni-

cal El Niño. The objective of this

research is to analyse current

methods of identifying the new

type of El Niño and establishing

the associated impacts it has on

weather and forest fire seasons

in the PNW. The analysis reveals

In recent decades, the frequency

of forest fires has been increas-

ing in the Pacific North West

(PNW). Several studies have

already established a connection

between ENSO, and forest fire

occurrence. However, a recently

discovered variant of El Niño,

called Central Pacific El Niño has

been observed more frequently

that current methods are

suboptimal and that a binary

distinction leads to misclassifi-

cations. It further reveals that

the teleconnections related to

the two types show a different

pattern. Exploratory analysis of

the forest fire seasons following

the events also shows a differ-

ent pattern.

A full day of thermal panoramas

was collected using a thermal

scanner mounted on a hydraulic

tower in a relatively uniform

suburban residential area in Van-

couver, Canada. The panoramas

are combined with a high-detail

3D model of the urban form

constructed via photogrammetry.

Computer vision techniques are

used to match thermal pixels to

their world locations and attrib-

The complete surface tempera-

ture T0,c of a complex urban

surface is a key parameter in the

urban energy balance, but is

however difficult to measure.

The goal of this presentation is

to quantify typical differences

between T0,c and surface

temperature as measured from

for different view directions over

the course of a single day.

ute material, slope, aspect, sky

view factor and relative altitude

to them. From the dataset, a

representation of T0,c is re-

constructed using statistical

relationships and knowledge

about the actual 3D form of the

urban surface. Computer

graphics techniques then allow

simulation of surface tempera-

ture for several view directions.

Chris Adderley (MSc) The effect of preferential view direction

on measured surface temperature

Liam McGuire (MA) The Ten Cities of Toronto: Patterns of

Socio-economic Inequality and Polarization throughout the Toronto Census

Metropolitan Area

My research employs mostly

quantitative methods to explore

the Greater Toronto Area, an

urban region with over 6 million

people. I am approaching this

study of Toronto to explore the

effects of neo-liberal urban gov-

ernance on the city, character-

ized by growing levels of socio-

economic polarization and ine-

quality. Some key parts of my

research involve forming a ty-

pology of Toronto neighbour-

hoods via a multivariate analy-

sis, thinking about urban plan-

ning discourse as driven by the

ideology of the competitive and

entrepreneurial city, and ex-

ploring the rapid growth of new

suburban land tracts on the

rural-urban fringe, where many

new immigrant homeowners are

The hyporheic zone is a transi-

tional area between surface and

groundwater systems that has a

range of habitat characteristics

supporting a wide range of

species. For this reason, a better

understanding of the movement

and extent of flows through the

sub-surface may lead to innova-

tive habitat restoration tech-

niques to make streams more

productive and to enhance

wide flume using cold water as a

tracer. The channel consisted of

3 step-pool units with 64mm

sized steps, discharges between

0.3-4.5L/s and slopes of 8 and

4%. The results indicated the

water moving along the steeper

(8%) slopes and the moderate

discharges produced much deep-

er subsurface flows with the

most significant changes occur-

ring at the lowest flows.

aquatic stream biology. While

the majority of studies thus far

have studied the hyporheic zone

at the catchment-scale, this

study has investigated hyporhe-

ic flow at the channel unit scale

to better understand the role of

streambed to-pography on

subsurface flows. A series of

experiments were conducted

which examined hyporheic flow

in a 5 metre long, 0.8 metre

paying large percentages of in-

come on homeownership costs.

Through this research, I hope to

provide new insight on the chal-

lenges residents in the Greater

Toronto Area face as they at-

tempt to secure affordable and

suitable housing in an increasing-

ly unequal urban region.

Sandra Banholzer (MSc) The new Central Pacific El Niño and its

impact of the weather and forest fire pattern in the Pacific North West.

UBC Department of Geography Page 3

between smoke, air quality and

visibility. The study was conduct-

ed from 2008 through 2011

during the fire season (April-

October) in southwestern British

Columbia. There were 67 smoke

days and the trajectory of the air

parcels on each smoke day was

determined. Atmospheric visibil-

ity was calculated using digital

images instead of using a nephe-

In recent years, the frequency of

forest fires has been increasing in

western North America. With an

increase in forest fire activity,

attention has been drawn to the

negative effects forest fire smoke

has on air quality and visibility.

Smoke particles from forest fires

can travel over long distances,

degrading air quality. This study

quantifies the relationship

Jenna Keane (MSc) Air Quality and Visibility during Forest

Fire Smoke Events in Southwestern British Columbia

lometer. Fine particulate matter

and ozone were examined at 12

locations across the Lower

Fraser Valley. The concentra-

tions of pollutants were

compared during smoke and

non-smoke events. The results

help to improve regional air

quality and visibility forecasts.

frequently attributed with the end

of neoliberal hegemony. The

hundreds of community-owned

water systems that operate in the

peri-urban south of the city played

a major role in this protest, and

they continue to play an important

role in the post-neoliberal imagi-

nary. I use the idea of

“community” to engage with two

major bodies of literature: the

neoliberalization of nature and the

My research focuses on commu-

nity water systems in peri-urban

Cochabamba, Bolivia, with the

goal of exploring frictions

between supposedly “post-

neoliberal” politics and actually

existing water governance. In

the year 2000, Cochabambinos

rose up to protest the privatiza-

tion of the city’s water supply;

this uprising acted as a catalyst

for a series of protests that are

politics of scale. In the first I

consider whether the communi-

ty systems represent an alter-

native to the neoliberalization

of urban water supply, and in

the second I trace the role that

scale has played and continues

to play in the community sys-

tems' struggle for recognition.

In both cases, I am interested

in the relationship between

governance strategies and

historic socio-political context.

Andrea Marston (MA) Actually Existing Post-Neoliberalism?

Community Water Governance in Peri-Urban Cochabamba, Bolivia

2.0 daily 1-degree dataset during the satellite era (1982-2010). From these years, four events of each kind were select-ed for analysis. The Caribbean has classically been identified as a region where sea surface temperature (SST) is affected by ENSO, but with new knowledge about ENSO, the relationship needed to be revisit-ed. Statistical analysis upon the

The recently identified Central Pacific El Niño-Southern Oscilla-tion (CP ENSO) mode has been shown to have different spatial and temporal teleconnections with the Caribbean than the classic Eastern Pacific El Niño-Southern Oscillation (EP ENSO) phases of El Niño and La Niña. Analysis was conducted upon NOAA’s Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature version

different populations of ENSO events identify that depending on event type, SST teleconnec-tions in the Caribbean are asso-ciated with different spatial distributions. These results have potential implications for coral reefs, as well hurricane development due to the distri-bution of the teleconnections.

Justin Lau (MSc) ENSO Teleconnections in the Caribbean:

Incorporating and differentiating the influence of central pacific ENSO events

upon sea surface temperatures

social, cultural and religious practices are framed as inherent-ly incompatible with Canadian societal norms. I am particularly interested in their sense of be-longing and how they speak about this issue.

How are their understandings of belonging affected, produced, or placed outside of, the official story of being in Canada? I draw from feminist, anti-racist schol-arship calling for more nuanced

I investigate the ways that Mus-lim immigrant women have been affected by (and negotiate and resist) changes to Canadian mul-ticultural policy over the past two decades. This group has become a popular symbol for the perceived incompatibility be-tween Multiculturalism and spe-cific cultural practices (Bilge 2010). I examine how these women come to see themselves in relation to the ways that their

and critical approaches to con-cepts of integration, multicul-turalism and nationalism (Thobani 2007, Razack 2008). Finally, echoing Jasbir Puar, I ask whether we can "keep our senses open to emergent and unknown forms of belonging, connectivity... [and] ... intima-cy" (Puar 2007, p. xxviii) and how these might inform or en-liven our studies of immigration and the politically-charged pro-cess of integration.

Molly Kraft (MA) Multicultural (Un)belongings

2012 Graduate Student Symposium Page 4

progressive distances downstream

from the dam. The physical habi-

tat properties examined were

depth, velocity, total suspended

solids, substrate size, and channel

bed mobility. Additionally, benthic

invertebrate samples were taken

immediately upstream and down-

stream of four tributaries. These

samples are compared to similar

samples from an unregulated riv-

er. Seven sites were chosen to

Hydropeaking dam operations

often drastically alter natural

flow regimes, to time flow re-

leases with consumer energy

demands. These large altera-

tions to flow regimes affect

aquatic organisms and their

habitats. In this study, a 40-km

stretch of the Kananaskis River

(Ab) below a hydropeaking fa-

cility was examined to assess

quantitative physical changes at

examine physical habitat char-

acteristics which were meas-

ured at high and low flow dam

releases. Depths and velocities

were modeled using RIVER2D

(a 2D hydraulic modeling pro-

gram). Preliminary results sug-

gest that changes in physical

habitat characteristics are great

close to the dam, but follow

less discernible patterns at

great distances downstream.

Lesley Winterhalt (MSc) Physical habitat below a hydropeaking

dam examining progressive downstream change

As of now, the database con-

tains over 7,000 data points

from 19 countries across five

continents. Detailed datasets

include the United States, China,

Canada, and Romania. Data

quality guidelines have been

developed to rate each dataset,

as part of comprehensive

metadata documentation. To

demonstrate the potential of this

This project has two purposes:

to create a global database of

specific sediment yield, and to

explore interpolation and visual-

ization methods in quantifying

spatial patterns of sediment

yield and data uncertainty. This

database draws on over two

dozen data sources, taken from

published material and datasets

donated by other researchers.

database, seven GIS interpola-

tion methods will be imple-

mented and compared. To

visualize these results, interpo-

lation and uncertainty surfaces

will be mapped. By combining

detailed metadata, interpola-

tion values, and uncertainty

surfaces the spatial distribution

of sediment yield can confi-

dently be evaluated.

Michael More (MSc) Building A Global Sediment Database

-sources, this study aims to ex-amine the mechanisms and eval-uate the effectiveness of universi-ty research commercialization in Nanjing. First, a critical review of the development trajectory of innovation theories serves to establish the theoretical grid for this paper. Following is a survey of the multi-layer policy, institu-tion and programme apparatus put up by multi-scalar govern-ments, which sets the parameters of local endeavors. Then, four

The Chinese government is propelling commercialization of university research as a strate-gy to boost industrial innovation and upgrade economic struc-ture. Nanjing, the national 3rd biggest hub of science and technology (S&T) resources, was selected in 2009 as the only pilot city for comprehen-sive S&T institutional reform. Based on in-depth key inform-ant interviews, site visits and documents collected from multi

sets of commercialization chan-nels, 1) government initiatives, 2) university technology transfer offices, 3) university-affiliated S&T parks, 4) university-government cooperative plat-forms, are examined both in their respective functions and mutual interactions. The paper concludes by identifying prob-lems in the commercialization system and generating policy implications.

Xiao Fu (MA) Commercialization of University

Research: the case of Nanjing, China

Holly Buehler (MSc) Assessing morphologic change as a result

of a hydro-peaking dam on the Kananaskis River

historical photos, field measure-ments, and airborne remote sensing techniques. The 8 most upstream sites were character-ized by minimal narrowing while the downstream sites exhibited statistically significant narrowing over the period of interest. Additionally, throughout the en-tire region the vegetated banks shifted from grass and shrub dominance to coniferous forests.

The damming of the Kananaskis River caused unique changes in flow regime through reduction of high flows and creation of daily peaking flow with no associated alteration in sediment supply. We assessed reach scale mor-phological channel change em-phasising the role of vegetation in affecting channel adjustment. Pre and post-dam channel condi-tions were assessed through

In these downstream reaches with a more attenuated hydro-peaking flood pulse it appears that bank stability associated with riparian vegetation acts as an important control on channel adjustment. Therefore changes in channel morphology cannot be explained solely by altered flow regime, but also must consider vegetation dynamics.

2012 Graduate Student Symposium Page 5

society creatively utilizing the

emerging system (including

wielding the cobrança as a sur-

prisingly polyvalent political tool),

already-existing regressive agen-

das continue to be primarily re-

sponsible for shaping governance

patterns. I therefore argue

against analytically privileging

neoliberalization, as it conflates

neoliberal "omnipresence" and

"omnipotence;" instead, under-

Over the past two decades, Bra-

zil has been implementing water

governance reforms that include

several putatively "neoliberal"

components; based on research

in the São Francisco River Basin,

my thesis centres on two: re-

scaled, decentralized participa-

tory governance and bulk water

charges (the cobrança). Despite

the presence of neoliberal nar-

ratives and examples of civil

standing the conditions facilitat-

ing the perpetuation of these

embedded patterns and oppor-

tunities for progressive mobili-

zation -- in the age of neoliber-

alization as well as preceding

paradigms -- requires greater

sensitivity to informal and polit-

icized (rather than path-

dependent and institutionalized)

aspects of Brazilian public policy

decision making.

Amanda de Freitas (MA) Old Chico's New Tricks? Governance

Changes and Water Charges in Brazil's São Francisco River Basin

gravel-bed stream. The study

was conducted in East Creek,

which contains three unique

morphologies: rapid, riffle pool,

and step pool. Pit traps, channel

mapping, tracers, and aerial

photographs have been used to

assess sediment transport and

annual sediment storage in the

creek. Annual sediment budgets

Sediment transport in small

gravel-bed streams is controlled

by sediment supply and flow

regime. Sediment supply and

storage play a major role in

controlling channel dynamics

and morphology. In this study I

examine the spatial and tem-

poral patterns of sediment stor-

age and transport in a small

were developed based on eleva-

tion difference maps created

using the Wheaton method.

These sediment budgets show

alternating patterns of erosion

and deposition with little rela-

tion to discharge and channel

characteristics.

Ilana Klinghoffer (MSc) Sediment Storage Patterns in a Small

Gravel-Bed Stream